About the Journal

ABOUT THE JOURNAL

ISSN 1027-3719 (Print) ISSN 1815-7920 (On-line)

Impact Factor (2009) 2.548

The International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (IJTLD) is the official publication of the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (The Union). It is distributed in over 165 countries world-wide to physicians, health workers, researchers, professors, students and decision-makers, including public health centres, medical, university and pharmaceutical libraries, hospitals, clinics, foundations and institutions.
Published principally in English, with French and Spanish summaries, selected articles are translated into French, and distributed on CD-ROM and online. A Chinese version is distributed three times per year to 4000 colleagues in China. The first issue of the Russian version of the Journal appeared in October 2003, and the second in June 2006. The first issue of the Spanish version was published in December 2005, and the second in May 2008.

The IJTLD is the reference for clinical research and epidemiological studies on tuberculosis. It is also the only peer-reviewed journal dedicated to lung health worldwide, including articles on TB-HIV and non tuberculosis related respiratory diseases such as asthma, acute respiratory infection, COPD, child lung health and the hazards of tobacco and pollution - all topics that reflect the wide scope of the activities of The Union and its members. The IJTLD is printed on acid-free paper and in electronic format.

HISTORY

The official journal of the Union has known a number of faces. The original journal, founded with the organisation in 1920, was known as the Bulletin of the International Union Against Tuberculosis (IUAT), which changed its name to the Bulletin of the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (IUATLD) in 1986, with the organisation’s move to include non-tuberculous lung disease in its mandate. In 1992 the Bulletin merged with the UK-based journal Tubercle to become Tubercle and Lung Disease, and it finally returned to Union ownership in 1997 as the International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (IJTLD). The IJTLD is now in its 13th volume.

Past Editors-in-Chief of the Journal of The Union have been Annik Rouillon, MD (France) (1966-1990), Jacques Chrétien,† MD (France) (1991-1994), and Michael Iseman, MD (USA) (1995-2002). In 2003, two editors were appointed, one for tuberculosis and one for lung disease. The current incumbents are respectively Nulda Beyers, MD, of The Desmond Tutu TB Centre, Stellenbosch University, South Africa and Moira Chan-Yeung, MD, of the University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, SAR, China.

Nulda is a paediatrician by training but spends most of her time doing TB research focusing on the epidemiology of TB, childhood TB and operations research aimed at closing the gaps in the TB and HIV programmes. The Desmond Tutu TB Centre is a Collaborating Centre of the Union. Moira is a Professor of Medicine (Hon) of the Department of Medicine, the University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China, and Professor Emeritus of the Department of Medicine, University of British Columbia, BC, Canada.